Signal device



March 5, 1935. J 1 HERQLD ET AL 1,993,406

SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Jan. 28, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 //VV5A/TOE$ J- L. f/EPOLD, J w. DHWSON.

BY'GWMA MW.

Hrroewsrf March 5, 1935. H A, 1,993,406

SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Jan. 28, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 wmgmw March 5, 1935.

J. L. HEROLD ET AL SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Jan. 28, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 5, 193% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIGNAL DEVICE James L. Herold and Joseph W. Dawson, St.

Louis, Mo., assignors to Barry-Wehmillcr Machinery Company, St., Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application January 28, 1933, Serial No. 653,940 7 Claims. (CL 15-61) This invention relates to signal devices, and e is a v w sh w g th si a p more Particularly to signal devices for indicating members. variations in articles carried by a conveyor. 6 i a side View On a relatively lar e Sca e During the operation of conveying devices showing m of t el m ts of t e brushin 5 wherein diflerent articles are carried from one device I 5 station to another, it is often important that 715 a View showing a members dap d the operator be clearly and accurately advised o be used in adjustin the Stroke of the sof the positions of the diiferent articles on the 3 is a View similar t t so of conveyor. Such knowledge is of special importhe p ts i s n t m l arly l trat tance when the articles on the conveyor are t brushing sm- 10 hidden from the view of the operator, and an The bottle Cleaning pp at in i usadjustment in an operating mechanism t trated to show one form of our invention may receiving station-has to be made in accordance comp a conveyor bottle ca er 9 i the with the size of articles arriving at said station. form of endless chains Provided with bottle An object, of th v t therefore 1 t holders 10 to receive bottles of different dimcnl5 provide a simple signal device which will acsionsh chains, as Shown i i 2 a curately and effectively indicate the positions of have rollers 11 adapted to travel 011 pp diiferent articles being carried by a conveyor. y Suitable SOHICe Of Power (not shown) y To illustrate one form of this invention, we b p d to p t an intermittent ehave Shown a ignal device applied t h m ment to the bottle carrier, so that the bottles will 20 cleaning apparatus wherein the bottles'are carve step bystep, a is 1151131 in his t, and ried by a'conveyor from a loading station to a y suitable ppo ts may be used to guide t e brushing station having brushes which require bottle-carrier in the endless course shown in an adjustment of the stroke for bottles of diifer- Fig. 1. Many of th t uc ural details have been ent dimensions. omitted as they are not necessary for an un- 25 When used in combination with an apparae t d of this inventiontus of this type, our signal device has exceptional h es y enter the front d (If he m8- merit, as it will indicate and warn the operator chine at a loading stati A (FISH y Passing of a change in size of the bottles approaching over a curved guide 13. The bottles may travel the brushing station, so that he may change the thr u a pr i nary s akin ompartment B. 30 stroke of the brushes in accordance with the a soaking compartment C, a cooling and rinsing size of the bottle indicated by the signal device, compartment D, and a brushing station E. The thus insuring the desired brushing action and bottles may be discharged at the front end of also preventing breakage of the bottles or injury the machine by passing onto an-inclined guide 14, to the brushing mechanism. which lies immediately above the guide 13, as 35 While our invention has exceptional merit showninFig. 1. when employed in a bottle cleaning device, such The bottles may be forcibly discharged onto the as will be hereafter described, it is understood inclined guide 14 by meansof an arm 15 pivotally that our signal device which comprehends supported at 16, and having an extension 17 changes, variations and modifications which adapted to enter the bottle holders to discharge 40 come within the scope of the claims hereunto the bottles therefrom. appended, may be advantageously employed in The brushing station E is provided with rovarious other devices having a conveying mechtatable brushes 18 secured to brush spindles 19, anism for articles of diiferent dimensions. as shown in Fig. 8. The means for rotating the Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a botbrush spindles 19 comprises a gear housing 20 45 tle cleaning device embodying the features of provided with shafts 21 secured to the respective this invention. Y spindles 19, as shown in Fig. 8. Each shaft 21 Fig. 2 is a detail view of a portion of the onis provided with a helical gear wheel 22 located posite side of the machine drawnto a larger in the housing 20. A drive shaft 23 is arranged scale and showing the signal device secured to longitudinally of this housing and provided with 50 the machine. a driving gear 24 located between and meshing Fig. 3 is a front view of the elements shown in with the gears 22. ,The drive shaft 23 may be Fig. 2. driven by any suitablesource of power (not Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the shown). y line 4-4 in Fig. 3. 1 As shown in Figs. '6 and s, the gear housing 2o is carried by large sleeves 25 which reciprocate on horizontal guide rods 26 to move the brushes into and out of the bottles.

The means for reciprocating the gear housing 20 comprises connecting rods 27 located at opposite sides of the machine, each of said rods being pivoted to one of the sleeves 25. 28 and 29 designate large rocker arms located at opposite sides of the machine, the upper ends of said arms being pivoted to the connecting rods 27 to impart a reciprocating motion to the sleeves 25 which carry the gear housing 20. The arms 28 and 29 are united by a rock shaft 30, and these arms are oscillated through the medium of a rod 31 having one of its ends pivoted to the arm 28,

.the other end of the rod 31 being connected to a short arm 32 shown-in Fig. 6. The short arm 32 is secured to..a,.shaft 89 which receives an oscillatory'motion" om any suitable source of power (not shown).

The bottle carrier is adapted to receive bottles of different lengths and the brushing device is designed to act upon the different bottles. brushing long bottles, the horizontalmotion oi the brushspindles 19 should be relatively long, and the stroke of these spindles should be reduced when smaller bottles are to be brushed.

We will now refer to a gage whereby the stroke of the brushes may be varied for bottles of different lengths. A pivot rod 33 connects the lever arm 28 to the operating rod 31. The arm 28 is provided with a curved slot 34 in which the pivot :rod 33 may be adjusted toward and away from extension 38 which surrounds the pivot rod 33.

An adjusting screw 39 mounted in 9. lug 40 engages the bottom of the extension 38. A nut 41 is located on the screw 39 and engages the lug 40 to lock the screw.

It will be understood that the screw 39 may be adjusted to firmly secure a gage member 36 between the lug 35 and seat 37, and these elements 36, 35 and 37 serve as a gage to determine the stroke of the brush spindles. The stroke depends upon the location of the pivot 33 relative to the axis of the shaft 30, the stroke of the brushes being shortened by moving the pivot'33 away from said axis. The slot 34 which receives the pivot 33 is so formed that the stroke of the brushes may be predetermined by locating one of the gage members, such as is shown in Fig. 7, between the members 35 and 37 and then adjusting the screw, 39'until the gage member is firmly held in position. The brushes 18 will then be moved the distance required to properly brush bottles of the size shown by the gage member.

During the brushing operation the bottles ar held the bottle holders 10 by' means of tubes 43, aci r ofwhich is provided with a pusher or collar 44"adapted to engage the closed end of a bottle, as shown in Fig. 8. The tubes 43 are slidably mounted on stationary tubes 45 containing springs 46 tending to force the collars 44 onto the bottles. The tubes 43 are also supported by the stationary members 43 in which they reciprocate.

The means for controlling and releasing these pushing devices 44, 43 comprises abutment collars at on the slidable tubes 43, and a reciprocat ing device adapted to engage these collars 47 to withdraw the pushers 44 from the bottles. This reciprocating device, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, comprises sleeves 48 slidable on the guide rods 26 and a pair of angle bars 4 connecting said sleeves, said angle bars being alapted to engage the collars 47 to withdraw the pushing devices 44 from the bottles. The means for reciprocating the sleeves 48 comprises a cam 50 on a shaft 51 which is rotated by any suitable source of power (not shown), a lever 52 pivoted at 53 and having a curved face 54 adapted to be engaged by the cam 50, and a rod 55 connecting said lever to a bell crank lever 56 on a rock shaft 57. This bell crank lever lies at one end of the shaft 57 as shown in Fig. 6, and has a downwardly extended arm connected to one of the sleeves 48 by a link 59. The other end of the shaft 57 is provided with an arm 60 (Fig. 8) connected by means of a link 61 to the other sleeve 48.

The sleeves 48 are thus moved to the right from the position shown in Fig. 6 to withdraw the pushers 44 from the bottles, thereby releasing the bottles and permitting the bottle carrier to continue its traveling motion.- A spring 62, shown in Figures 6 and 8, may be employed to move the angle bars 49 awayfrom the collars 47.

While it is desirable to brush bottles of different dimensions, it is important that the operator be positively and accurately advised of a change in dimensions of the bottles approaching the brushing station, so that he may adjust the stroke of the brushes in accordance with the length of the bottles.

For example, quart bottles may be inserted at the loading station by the operator and the stroke of the brushes set for quart bottles. After inserting quart bottles for some time, pints may then be inserted, and thereafter half-pint bottles may be inserted into the portion of the conveyor following the pint bottles. Since the bottles pass out of the view of the operator at the loading station and travel a considerable distance before reaching the brushing station, it has been very diflicult, if not impossible, for the operator to ascertain when the smaller bottles are about to arrive at the brushing station. As a result the operator may fail to properly set the stroke of the brushes for the smaller bottles, and this may result in breakage of the bottles, or injury to the brushes.

However, our signal device will show the positions o! the diflerent bottles in the endless conveyor with respect to the brushes, and will effectively warn the operator when it is necessary to change the stroke of the brushes.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, one form of our signal device includes a rotary carrier 65 in the form of a wheel provided with radial gear teeth 66 on its rear face and an annular series of holders or openings 67 in its front-face.

The carrier 65 is secured to a shaft 68 by a pin 69, as shown in Fig. 4. The shaft 68 is rotatably secured in a bearing 70 on a support 71 which may be secured in any suitable manner to the front of the bottle cleaning machine. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the support 71 is secured to stationary tubes 72 by the U-bolts 72.

The carrier 65 is preferably driven step by step in unison with the bottle carrier 9. To illustrate to a shaft 76 which extends through a bearing 77 in the support 71. The shaft 76 is provided with a pinion 78, as shown in Fig. 4, which meshes with the radial gear teeth 66 on the rear face of the carrier 65.

The wheel 73 which is rotated step by step in unison with the bottle conveyor 9 will, therefore, impart a similar motion through the shaft 76 and pinion 78 to the carrier 65.

The number of openings 67 in the carrier is approximately equal to the number of steps made by the bottle carrier in passing from the loading station A to the brushing station E, and the gear ratio between the pinion 78 and the radial gear teeth 66 of the carrier 65 is so fixed that each step in the movement of the rotary carrier is approximately equal to the distance from the center of one of the openings 67 to the center of the next adjacent opening 6'7. The carrier .65 will, therefore, make approximately one complete revolution when a bottle travels from the loading station to the brushing station.

In Fig. 5 we have shown a series of selective signal-operating members 79 provided with designations corresponding to different size bottles or jars. The term bottles, as herein used, extends to jars, and other articles which.may be delivered to the apparatus set forth in the claims.

Each of the selective signal-operating members 79 has a reduced portion 82 which is movable into and out of the openings 67 in the carrier so that any selected signal-operating member 79 can be secured in any selected opening 67.

When the signal-operating members are not in service they may be conveniently located in the annular series of openings 83 located near the center of the rotary carrier, as shown by Figures 2 and 3. From this position they may be readily removed and inserted in the openings 67 near the periphery of the rotary carrier 65.

Any suitable alarm, or indicating device may be employed. -For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, an audible alarm device may be secured to the lower portion of the support 71. This alarm device has a trigger 84 adapted to lie in the path of a signal-operating member '79 when the latter is located in one of the openings 67. This trigger is pivoted at 85 and has an extension 86 adapted to operate a trip hammer 87 so that said trip hammer will strike a bell 88 when a signal-operating member 79 passes the trigger 84.

To more definitely describe our signal device, we will now set forth one method of operating the same.

When the bottle cleaning machine is placed in operation, the stroke of the brushes 18 may be set for the size of the bottles being inserted at the loading station. When bottles of another size are to be inserted into the bottle carrier 9, the operator inserts into one of the openings 67 a signal-operating member '79 having a designation corresponding to the size of these bottles. This signal-operating member 79 may be located adjacent to the trigger 84, such as suggested in Fig. 3.

The operator may then allow the bottle carrier 9 to make a few steps without inserting any bottles so that the signal-operating member will travel a few steps in advance of the bottles. Thereafter, the operator may continue to load the size of bottles shown by the designation on the selective signal-operating member '79.

When bottles of another size are introduced into the bottle conveyor, the operator inserts a corresponding signal-operating member 79 having the proper designation into the carrier 65 at a point slightly beyond the trigger 84. This operation may be repeated as often as there is a change in size of bottles being inserted.

After a selected signal-operating member 79 has been inserted into the'carrier, it will be carried step by step in unison with the bottle carrier. When the empty bottle holders which precede the size bottles shown by the indication on the signal-operating member approach the brushing station, the signal-operating member will have made a revolution about the axis of the carrier 65 and will pass the trigger 84 which operates the audible alarm device.

Upon the sound of the alarm, the operator will notice the designation on the signal-operating member and then set the stroke of the brushes for the size of the bottle shown by said designation. The empty bottle holders provide ample time for this adjustment, and it is not necessary to stop the machine.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for conveying articles of different dimensions from one station to another, a conveyor to receive said articles, means whereby said conveyor is movable step by step from the first mentioned station to the last mentioned station, and a signal device actuated in response to the motion of the conveyor to indicate a change in dimensions of the articlesapproaching said last mentioned station, said signal device including a carrier movable step by step in accordance with the movements of the conveyor, I

and a signal-operating member, said carrier being provided with a series of holders to receive said signal-operating member, each step in the movement of said carrier being equal to the distance from one of said holders to the next adjacent holder.

2. In an apparatus for performing operations on containers of different dimensions, a conveyor for the containers, a loading station where said containers are delivered to said conveyor, an operating station where the operations are performed, said operating station including an operating member adjustable to operate on the different containers, and a signal device for indieating a change in the dimensions of the containers approaching said operating station, said signal device including an actuating member movable in unison with said conveyor.

3. In an apparatus for performing operations on containers of different dimensions, a conveyor for the containers a loading station where said containers are delivered to said conveyor, an operating station where the operations are performed, said operating station including an operating member adjustable to operate on the different containers, means whereby said conveyor is movable step by step from the loading station to said operating station, and a signal device indicating a change in the dimensions of the containers approaching said operating station, said signal device including signal-actuating means comprising a driving member movable step by step in unison with said conveyor, and a signal-actuating member in the path of said driving member.

4. In a bottle brushing apparatus, an endless conveyor provided with holders adapted to receive bottles of different dimensions, a brushing station provided with brushes movable into and out of the bottles, adjustable means for varying the length of the stroke of said brushes, means whereby said endless conveyor is movable step by step to carry the bottles to said brushing station, and a signal device showing the positions of difierent size bottles in said endless conveyor with respect to said brushing station, said signal device including an actuating member movable step by step in unison with the conveyor.

5. In a bottle brushing apparatus, an endless conveyor provided with holders adapted to receive bottles of different dimensions, a brushing station provided with brushes movable into and out of the bottles, adjustable means for varying the length of the stroke of said brushes, a bottle-loading station where the bottles are loaded into said holders, means whereby said endless conveyor is movable step by step to carry the bottles from said loading station to said brushing station, and a signal device showing positions ofdifferent size bottles in said endless conveyor with respect to said brushes, said signal device comprising a carrier provided with a series of holders adapted to receive signal operating members, a signal operating member provided with a designation corresponding to the different size bottles, positioned in one of said holders, and operating means whereby said carrier is driven step by step in unison with said endless conveyor, the number of holders in said series being approximately equal to the number of steps made by said endless conveyor in passing from said" said holders, means whereby said endless conveyor is movable step by step to carry the bot- :tles from said loading station to said brushing station; and a signal device for showing positions of difierent size bottles on said endless conveyor. with respect to said brushes, said signal ries oil-openings adapted to receive signal operating members, a signal operating member provided with a designation corresponding to the different size bottles, positioned in one of said openings, an audible alarm device having a trigger in the path of said signal-operating member so as to operate said audible alarm device when said signal-operating member passes said trigger, and operating means whereby said rotary carrier is driven step by step in unison with said endless conveyor, each step in the movement of said r0- tary carrier being equal to the distance from the center of one of said openings to the center of the next adjacent opening.

7. In a holder brushing apparatus, an endless conveyor provided with holders adapted to receive bottles of difierent dimensions, a brushing station provided with brushes movable into and out of the bottles, adjustable means for varying the length of the stroke of said brushes, a bottle-loading station where the bottles are loaded into said holders, means whereby said endless conveyor is movable step by step to carry the bottles from said loading station to saidbrushing station, and a signal device for showing positions of different size bottles on said endless conveyor with respect to said brushes, said signal device comprising a rotary carrier in the form of a wheel provided with radial gear teeth on its rear face and an annular series of openings 2 mV its front faceadapted to, receive signal operating members, a'signal operating member provided with a designation corresponding to the different size bottles, positioned in one of said openings, an audible alarm device having a trigger in the path of said signal-operating member so as to operate said audible alarm device when said signal-operating member passes said trigger, and operating means whereby said rotary carrier is driven step by step in unison with said endless conveyor, said operating means in-.

cluding a wheel having projecting portions adapted to extend into the path of said endless conveyor, and a gear wheel operatively secured to said wheel and meshing with the radial gear teeth on said carrier, the number of openings in said annular series being approximately equal to the number of steps made by said endless conveyor in passing from said loading station to said brushing station, and each step in the movement of said rotary carrier being equal to the distance from the center of one of said openings to the center of the next adjacent opening.

JAMES L. HEROLD.

JOSEPH W. DAWSON. 

